I, for one, won't cry if the Reds do go. I take the American view that the public needs to see front-line a/c doing formation aerobatic stunts, not little trainers. Front line aircraft are what defence of the nation and its interests are all about. That's what fires little boys and girls to want to be be fighter pilots, and what reassures the taxpayers they're getting the best defence in the world. Otherwise, civvy-flown Zlins are much better for aerobatics.
I understand that the current crop of F-16s and 18s can't pull the same tight turns as the Reds' Hawks and are thus not quite as visible - or even as dramatic - to the watching crowd. But there is a front-line aircraft that could do the turns and be even more dramatic - the Typhoon.
Har, har, too expensive, do I hear? Well, not so expensive if there are fewer of them as the New Red Arrows, and come not from a special unit but from the Typhoon OCU and reserves.
Any bets that won't happen by 2012?